title: Effect of medical education on students' attitudes toward psychiatry and individuals with mental disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to explore the effect of medical education on students' attitudes toward psychiatry and psychiatric patients, and examined the usefulness of a new evaluation tool: the 6-item Psychiatric Experience, Attitudes, and Knowledge (PEAK-6).
  
  
  METHODS
  Authors studied the attitudes of 116 medical students toward psychiatry and individuals with mental disorders, using two questionnaires before and after a 12-week module of "psychosocial medicine." Results of the 30-item questionnaire Attitudes Toward Psychiatry (ATP-30) were compared with the results of PEAK-6.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With the ATP-30, no change in attitudes toward psychiatry was observed at the end of the module. With the PEAK-6, the item "attitude toward psychiatry" significantly improved. Knowledge of and experience with psychiatry as well as knowledge of and experience with individuals with mental disorders improved significantly; however, attitudes toward individuals with mental disorders did not improve.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PEAK-6 seems to be a promising tool with regard to nuanced information about psychiatric learning experiences. Participation in a psychiatric module may be associated with a positive effect on students' knowledge about, experience with, and attitudes toward psychiatry, but not attitudes toward psychiatric patients.
authors.forename: Marzellus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harendza
authors.forename: Jelka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drabik
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reimer
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kuhnigk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D011570:Psychiatry; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult